


Salty

by FrostyBite



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cooking, Fluff, M/M, domestic chocobros are best chocobros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 05:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11177709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostyBite/pseuds/FrostyBite
Summary: Gladio's never been particularly good at cooking, but ten years is a long time to get used to it.





	Salty

Chocolate chip cookies: a classic, Gladio had insisted, you couldn't even _think_ about making others until you perfect the chocolate chip cookie. Ignis wanted to try something a little more bold—they had tried this recipe before, with a few tweaks here and there—but Gladio wouldn't budge. Defeated, Ignis gave in, but only on the promise that they'd finally move on if this attempt was passable. Gladio happily obliged.

Ignis kept almost every recipe he'd thought up in a single notebook while they were on the road. He'd meant to go through it someday, to organize and rewrite them into a small collection of his own unpublished cookbooks. Gladio insisted he would help with this, but neither of them ever got around to it. There was something about that old notebook that neither of them wanted to let go of. Each page documented some point of their adventure, precious memories that they weren't in much of a hurry to get rid of. Some were neat and carefully thought out, with notes and substitutions filling the margins, and some appeared to have been written in the middle of battle, featuring wild scribbles that Gladio constantly had to ask about.

Gladio set the notebook on the table, flipping through the worn pages until settling on the one titled _Chocolate Chip_. He couldn't help but smile; the page was filled with both of their attempts at improving the recipe, various tweaks here and there, slashes through the failures and circles around the ones they liked. Overall, it was a mess—and he loved it. He quickly set to gathering the ingredients as Ignis took off his gloves, gently running his fingers through the pages, keeping one hand on the recipe to flip back to when Gladio forgot what ingredients he was supposed to be measuring out.

It took some getting used to, but cooking became one of Gladio's favorite pastimes—not for the actual cooking part of it, but because he got to watch Ignis do what he loved. Ignis still retained his finesse in the kitchen, even with the loss of his eyesight. In fact, Gladio was sure he'd improved since the incident. The older man could barely keep up with him half the time, and would usually only be there to gather the ingredients and occasionally taste test.

Ignis added ingredients little by little to the bowl: some sugar, flour, an egg, a cup of butter, then a bit more sugar, and some more flour. Gladio stirred, adding some bits here and there as well: a bit of vanilla, salt, baking soda—not baking powder, a lesson he had learned the hard way. Once everything was properly mixed, he opened the chocolate chips. He upturned the bag over the bowl, holding out his hand under it, catching a handful of chocolate chips as they fell towards the bowl.

Ignis reached out, snatching a few from his hand, popping them into his mouth. "Nice try, Gladio."

Gladio dropped a few from his hand into the bowl, then quickly ate the rest. He pulled the cookie sheet out of the cabinet, and Ignis, large spoon in hand, began scooping up spoonfuls of dough and carefully placing them onto the sheet. Almost all the pieces were the same size, spaced evenly.

The only time Gladio took over in the kitchen was when it came to handling anything sharp or exceptionally hot—Ignis insisted he'd be fine, and hadn't seriously injured himself beyond a few minor cuts and burns when getting used to cooking again, but Gladio wasn't one to take chances. He opened the oven, the rush of heat forcing him to narrow his eyes. He took the tray in one hand and slipped it into the oven, closing the door and setting the timer.

Gladio sat back on the counter next to Ignis. "You know, we really gotta go through all of these at some point."

"Yes, if only _someone_ were to let go of their hopes of perfecting a single one."

"C'mon, you'll thank me for this. A little hard work for Eos' best chocolate chip cookies?"

"I suppose."

"Really, though, there's a bunch of these we haven't tried yet. Hold on, I think I saw a good one earlier." Gladio lingered on a page for a second, then let out a laugh. "Wait, Salmon-in-a-Suit?"

"From Oric's Culinary Chronicles, if I'm not mistaken, yes..."

\---

The timer hit zero and the oven’s buzzer went off. Both Gladio and Ignis jolted up, the timer interrupting their conversation. Gladio slipped on an oven mitt, pulling the cookie sheet out and setting it down on the stove before reaching over to turn the oven off. He sat back down and the two continued for a few minutes before Ignis turned his attention back to the cookies on the stove. He grabbed a small spatula hanging from the side of a cupboard, slid it under a cookie, and held it delicately with the tips of his fingers.

"Moment of truth." Ignis sniffed it, then took a bite while Gladio looked on with anticipation.

Ignis silently thanked the Six it had been a small bite. He tried not to visibly show his distaste, but, despite his best efforts, his upper lip curled as he swallowed—which Gladio, of course, picked up on, and raised an eyebrow.

"So? How is it?"

Ignis hesitated for a moment before swiftly leaning forward, kissing the tip of Gladio's nose.

"Salty, just like you."

Gladio blinked a few times, holding a grin for a while before shaking his head. "Wait, what? How much salt did we need?"

"If I remember correctly, the recipe called for a single teaspoon."

"That's what I did!"

"Are you sure you didn't use a tablespoon again?"

"I mean, the difference is obvious, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Ignis held out his hand. "Show me what you used."

Gladio looked over at the pile of dishes they had used and retrieved the utensil. Now, staring at it, it was undoubtedly, _very_ obviously a tablespoon. He clutched it for a moment, briefly considering swapping it for the actual teaspoon, but there was no way he wouldn't get caught with Ignis' uncanny hearing; even now, his hesitation was probably damning. He dropped the tablespoon into Ignis' hand, and his fingers curled around the utensil to feel its shape.

Ignis immediately grinned.

Gladio groaned. "Yeah, I know."

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/161499579687/imagine-your-otp-baking-cookies-together-b) prompt, with a very special thanks to my wonderful [beta](http://archiveofourown.org/users/keybllade). Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
